Valve.



No. 7|2,485. Patented Nov. 4, |902.

J. H. BICKFDRD.

VALVE.

[Ap tion med oec. 1o, 1901.) (no Model.) Y 2 sheets-shm 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. BIcKFoi-morsALEivi; MASSACHUSETTS.

vALv.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No; 712,485, dated November 4, 1902.l

Application led October 10,41901.A Serial No. 78,278. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

setts,. have 4invented an Improvement in Valves, of which the following description, in'

connection with the accompanying drawings,I

is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to valves, and is intended as an improvement upon the valve shown and described in myapplication forLetters Patent, Serial No. 64,831, filed' June 17,

1901. In my said application the valve-plate is borne by a carrier and is movable laterally toward and from its seat, and the movement of said valve-plate toward and from its seat is controlled by a pressure-chamber, also borne by said carrier and which is connected with the pressure-supply, and means are provided for controlling the pressure in said chamber. The means shown in said application for controlling the pressure in the pressurechamber is operated by the means employed for moving the carrier,and,as shown in the drawings, the valve-plate incidentally slides on its seat a short distance at the beginning and also at the end of its movement. For large valves it is important that the valve-plate be moved'away from its seat or the pressure upon it relieved or reduced before it is raised, so

that the friction due to sliding upon its seat during its upward movement or downward movement will be avoided, and providing means for accomplishing this result constitutes the essential object of this invention.

VThe invention consists, essentially, in a carrier bearing a valve-plate and also bearing a pressure-chamber having a ileXible element the pressure ofthe pressure-chamber independently of the carrier constitutes the essontial feature of this invention.

Figure l shows in vertical section a valve. embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the valve shown in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a detail of a modified form of valve which may be employed for controlling the pressure of the pressure-chamber.

a represents the valve-case, which is made of any suitable shape,l having ports ct' a, which are preferably made circular, and having a bonnet f, containing a stufng-box, through which the valve spindle or stem passes. 1

The valve-case a is formed or provided interiorly with a valve-seat a2, surrounding or inclosing the port a'. The valve-seat Cmay be made circular or of any other suitable shape. The valve plate, which cooperates with the valve-seat, as herein shown, consists of a disk c, having an externally-screwthread ed boss, on which is screwed a follower-plate c', and a springp, to be described, is contained in a recess provided in the boss on the disk c, which is held in place by bearing against the inner wall of a shell d, which is herein shown as the essential element of the carrier which carries the valve-plate. The shell d of the carrier consists of a circular plate having an annular ange d', which is externally screw-threaded and is screwed to a ring d2, formed or provided with a boss d3, which is socketed to receive the lower screwthreaded end of the valve spindle or stein g, yet so far as my present invention is concerned any other form of carrier may be employed. The valve-plate is herein shown as connected to the carrier by a metallic or other flexible diaphragm c2, and any suitable means may be employed for securing said diaphragm to the valve-plate-as, for instance, it may be rmly clamped in position between the disk c and the follower-plate c'-and also any suitable means may be employed for securing said diaphragm to said carrier-as, for instance, it may be firmly held in place between the shell d and ring cl2. The diaphragm c2 serves as and constitutes a flexible element, and the follower-plate c', which is located back of it, serves as a reinforcing-plate for said flexible element. Any other suitable flexible element may be employed in lieu of a diaphragm.

By connecting the diaphragm c2 to the shell CZ it will beseen that a chamber is produced, of which said flexible element forms a part, and said chamber is herein employed to re- IOO ceive the pressure from the pressure-supply, as will be hereinafter described, and consequently willbe herein referred to as the pressure-chamber, although so far as my invention is concerned this pressure-chamber may be constructed in other ways, yet having a flexible element asapart ofit which is adapted to serve as an actuator for or means for moving the Valve-plate when its movement is controlled, as will be hereinafter described, by the pressure in the pressure-chamber.

Means are provided whereby the pressure is admitted to the pressure-chamber, which latter, as herein shown, is located at the back side of the valve-plate, and said means, as herein shown, consists of a fluid-passage or other connection, which leads from the inlet of the valve, meaning the pressure-supply, to said pressure-chamber, which when open affords a free and unobstructed passage for the fluid which is being controlled. This iiuidpassage from the inlet of the valve-7l. e., the pressure-supply-to the pressure -chamber may be made in many diiferent ways more or less circuitous, yet coming Within the scope of this invention.

As shown in Fig. l, the spindle g, which is attached to the carrier, is made tubular fora portion of its length, thereby providing a passage e2, and at the upper end of said'passage e2 the spindle g has a side opening normally communicating with a recess iu a gland w of the stuffing-box when the carrier is in its low- -ermost position and the valve-plate consequently closed on its seat, and the bonnetf, containing said stuffing-box, in which said spindle moves up and down, is cut away or formed to provide a passage e3, which is in open communication with the recess in said gland 1U, and said bonnet and the valve-case are provided with a passage e, leading from the passage e3 to the inlet ot' the valve-t'. e., the pressure-supply. As shown in this ligure of the drawings, the passages e2 and e4 are substantially in parallelism, while the passage e3 is at right angles thereto and con- .nects them at the top when the carrier is in the position shown in Fig. l. A passage e5 passes through the carrier, which connects the passage e2 with the pressure-chamber. When said duid-passages e5 e2 e3 e4 are open, as shown in said figure, the pressure in the pressurechamber and acting back of the valve-plate will be the same per square inch as the pressure on the front side of the valve-plate; but

as the area of the back side of the valve-plate acted upon by the pressure in the cham ber is greater than the area of the front side of the valve-plate iny contact with the pressure by the area of the seat it is obvious that the valve-plate will be moved laterally toward and held hard upon its seat by the pressure in said chamber acting back ot' it.

The carrier bearing the pressure-chamber and. valve-plate may be raised and lowered by turning the hand-wheel g2 on the spindle or stem g. The spindle g passes up through valso coperates.

the stuffing-box contained in the bonnet f, and a driving-gland f is preferably provided.

To control the pressure in the pressurechamber in the construction herein shown, a valve is provided which is adapted to open and close said fluid-passage connecting the pressure-chamber with the pressure-supply and also open and close an outlet-passage to thereby admit or withdraw the pressure. The' valve shown in Figs. l and 2 for thus controlling the fluid-passage consists of a three-way cock t, located at the junction of the passages e3 e4, and through the wall of the case an exit t2 is provided, with which said three-way cock Vhenever the three-way cock is turned into the position shown in Fig. l, communication is established between the passages e3 e4 and the pressure is admitted to the pressure-chamber and acts back of the flexible element to thrust the valve plate against its seat. By turning said three-way cock into another position the Huid-passage will be closed and the pressure in the pressure-chamber will immediately begin to fall, (if steam,) and when the pressure has been reduced to a point where the pressure per square inch in the pressure-chamber is materially less than the pressure of the pressuresupply then the valve-plate will tend to fall away from its seat. By turning the threeway cock into still another position the fluidpassage will not only be closed, but its closed portion will be opened to the atmosphere by way of the outlet-passage t2, and as soon as the controlling-valve thus opens the outletpassage t2 the accumulated pressure in the pressure-chamber will escape, which operation causes the valve to move laterally away from its seat.

As before stated, the fluid-passage leading from the pressure supply to the pressurechamber may be constructed in many different ways, so, also, the outlet-passage leading from the pressure-chamber may be constructed in many differentways, all within the scope of this invention.

The outlet-passage leading from the pressure-chamber is quite as important in controlling the pressure in said pressure-chamber as the inlet-passage which leads from the pressure-supply, as it is by opening said outlet-passage that the pressure is relieved, so asto cause the valve-plate to move away from its seat.

It will be seen that by properly controlling the pressure in the pressure chamber the valve-plate is operated, being moved laterally toward its seat by the pressure in said pressure-chamber and held in contact with its seat by the pressure in said pressure-chamber and then moved laterally away from its seat by a decrease or absence of pressure in said pressure-chamber, all being controlled TOO IIO

by the valve controlling the pressure of the pressure-chamber. It is designed and intended thatvthis controlling-valve shall be operated previous to raising the carrier, so

as to relieve,V or reduce the pressure of the pressurechamber before said valve-plate starts on its upward movement and also after the carrier has been restored to its normal position,`so as to admit the pressure to the pressure-chamber after the valve-plate has ceased its downward movement, and hence is herein shown as adapted to be operatedby means independent of the carrier-that is,

independent of the movement of the carrier.;

As herein shown, the three-way cock is provided With a squared end t?, (see Fig. 2,)

adapted to be` engaged by any suitable tool,

and thereby turned. By operating the valve t independently of the movement of the carrier it willbe seen that the pressure of the pressure-chambermay be relieved or reduced before the valve-.plate is raised, and consequently said platewill be removed from its seat, so as not to slideon itsH seat when raised or move thereon With excessive friction, In'

lien of this particular form of valveI may employ a screw-threaded plug, as t', (see Fig.

3,) which is located at the `junction ofthe passages e3 e4, although such a plug, however,`

is not adapted to open an `eXit to the atmosphere when the duid-passage is closed, orI

' may employ any other suitable'form of valve.

The` spring p serves to seat thevalve-plate normally, as it might `happen that when` the valve-plate is away from its seat and there is a pressureback of it, as well as infront of it, said valve-plate would bebalanced, so far as the pressure is concerned. Hence the employment of this spring.

To preventthe springp from thrusting the valve-plate laterallyagainst the interior wall of the valve-case, so that when lowered it will' strike the projecting valve-seat d?, two ribs are provided on said interior wall, one o n each side.I of the seatfon which the valveplate rides `by means of lugs on either side as it rises, being thereby heldin a proper plane to moveicorrectly on the valve-seatwhen lowered.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. In a valve, a carrier bearing a valve-` plate and also bearing a pressure-chamber' havinor a flexible element as a art of it* means for moving'said carriergmeans, as a passage, connecting said pressure-chamber with the pressure-supply, said pressure-cham ber controlling the movementsof said valveplate laterally toward andtrom its seatas the pressure therein is` controlled, and a valve for controlling the pressure in said chamber operatedindependently ofthe carrier, substantially as described. i

2. In a valve, a

carrier" bearing a valvel plate and also. bearing a pressure-chamber. having a iieXible element as a part of it,``

"means for moving said carrier,-m e ansas a passage connecting* said pressure-chamber with the pressure-supply, said pressure-chamber controlling the movements of said valveplate laterally toward and from its seat as the pressure therein is controlled, and a manually-operated valve for controlling the pressure in said cham-ber operated independently of the carrier, substantially as described;

3. In a valve, a carrier bearing alvalve-v plate and alsobearing a pressure-chamber 'having a `flexible element as a part ofit,

means for moving said carrier,means, as a passage connecting said pressure-chamber with the pressure-supply,said pressure-cham- `ber controlling the movements of `said valveplate laterally toward and from its seat as the pressure therein'is controlled, an outlet-pas! sage leading from `said pressure -chamber through 'which the pressure therein is released, and a valve `for controlling saidoutletpassage operated independently of thecarrier, substantially as describedi 4. In a valve,a carrier bearing a valveplate and also bearing a pressure-'chamber having a flexible `elementqas a part ofit,

means'for moving said carrier, means,'as'a passage connecting said pressure-chamber with thepressuresupply,`said pressure-chambercontrolling the movementsof said valveplate laterally toward and from its seat as the pressure therein iscontrolled, an outlet; passage leadmgfrom said pressure-chamber through which the pressure therein is released, anda valve for controlling the pressure in said chamber operated independently of the carrier constructed and" arrangedmo IOO close said passageconnectingsaid pressures? chamber with the, pressure-supply' and .also

open said outlet-passage, substantially as de# scribed. i y

`5. Ina valve, a carrier bearing a valvei plate and also `bearing a pressurelchamber having a flexible elementV as a part ofit,n means for moving said carrier, means, as a passage, connecting said pressure-chamber with the pressure-supply, said pressure" chamber controlling the moveinentsof said `valve-plate laterally toward and from its seat as the pressure therein is controlled, an out-V let-passage leading from saiddonnecting-pasf sage,through which the pressure in said chamI ber is released, and a valve for controlling said outlet-passage operated l independently of the carrier, substantially as` desc`ribed.`

In testimony whereof Ihave siignedmy name to this specification in the presence 'of two 'subscribing Witnesses.

Viitnesses:` B. J. Novus, 11. B. Davis. y

JOHN rH. mettront). .i

IZO 

